Keeping Employees Happy and Productive in the Office

August 1, 2013
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Do you have employee wellbeing measures in place at your company? If not, then you may find your staff members are looking elsewhere in order to get the kind of support and development they want in order to further their careers.

Employee wellbeing should not be regarded as an optional extra for managers, it should be a well-integrated part of the day-to-day running of a company. By investing in people, they will invest in your company.

It’s a no brainer really – happy, healthy staff will be better, more productive workers. Companies can’t afford to neglect their staff in order to concentrate on other business matters because the bottom line is, without upbeat employees, your company is unlikely to flourish.

Here are some tips to keep your employees happy and productive in the office.

Stress management programmes

Combatting stress among employees is becoming increasingly important and according to Tower Watson, 40 per cent of employers have a stress management programme in place in recognition of this fact.

As 98 per cent of staff members say workplace anxiety has a huge impact on their productivity during the working day, this is an issue that can’t really be ignored.

Measures to reduce stress among employees include flexible working, annual bonus schemes and better holiday packages – all of which also have the added benefit of encouraging staff retention.

On top of this, using teleconferencing solutions is a good way to keep in touch with home workers so they don’t feel detached or isolated. Using this type of free technology helps keep the lines of communication open and allows colleagues to discuss work-related matters regardless of their location and take part in teleconference meetings, thereby ensuring queries can be answered and business runs smoothly at all times.

Ease the pressure

Another important consideration – and one of the biggest challenges faced by many employers and employees – is work pressure.

Arjen Vermazen, HR manager at the company, told HR Magazine: “It’s striking the balance between putting a little bit of pressure on so people go the extra mile and relieving the pressure at the right time so they can recharge again.”

This means offering employees access to assistance programmes and coaching so they learn techniques to help deal with heavy workloads. On top of this, it’s important to have an open door policy, if people have problems they need to be able to communicate them.

It’s good to talk

Speaking of an open door policy, prevention is better than cure, which is why setting up sessions to help employees manage their workload is a good idea before they become overwhelmed and ill with anxiety.

Setting up training sessions is a good idea and holding them via teleconference is a great way to allow employees to take part whenever it suits them. Rather than hiring a meeting room for a session, a conference call can be just as effective and home workers will also be able to take part.

In addition, the same technology – which is incredibly simple and easy to use – could be used by employees so they can hold their own peer sessions should they wish to talk privately without a manager present.